Shadow of the Worf
by OffCenterFold
Summary: First Contact Came Before the 21st Century... This takes place not long after Megumi came to the Kamiya Dojo, according to the anime timeline as opposed to the manga. No Romance Involved.


SHADOW OF THE WORF  
by Takani Megumi X

The sun shone brightly on the Kamiya Dojo. Kenshin was, as usual, up to his elbows in soapy water and laundry, while Genzaisensei's granddaughters tumbled over and around him. Sano and Kaoru stood in the doorway, watching the children's antics.

"Yahiko's working at the restaurant again, hmm?" When Kaoru nodded, Sanosuke grumbled. "Y'ask me, he ought to be cookin' here. He should've learned enough by now."

It was Kaoru's turn to snort derisively. "Why should there be any different from here?"

Sano threw back his head and laughed.

"What's so funny?" A familiar voice barely preceded its owner into the yard. Megumi's tone was not condescending, but Sano sobered quickly.

Not so the little girls. "Megumineesan!" Unceasing in their amusements, they looked at her with wide eyes. "Do we have to go home already?"

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid so. You know Genzaisensei is having company tonight, and wants us all on our best behavior." She gave the mournful-looking girls a sympathetic smile. Two forlorn nods answered the reminder.

"Company? Oh, anyone we know?" Kaoru asked.

Megumi shrugged. "Just some colleagues, he said, from out of town. Schoolmates of his, I think." She shrugged offhandedly, then grinned. "I think one of them has a recently widowed sister," she added wryly.

"At least the dirty old man's tryin' for someone his own age," Sano grumbled.

"Maa, maa. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself?" Kenshin spoke up at last.

"It's enjoying everyone else that's his problem," the tall man growled.

"Come, girls, let's go," Megumi said, trying not to smirk. Grabbing each of her hands, the girls approached the gate with their usual energy, and the young woman laughed.

"You're not... JEALOUS, are you, Sano?" Kaoru's teasing voice echoed loudly as the three rounded the corner.

Megumi rolled her eyes and the little girls giggled. "Megumineesan, can we take the shortcut today?"

"Please, Megumineesan?"

Confronted with such persuasiveness, she couldn't argue. "All right. Just hold my hands tightly!" Smiling at her charges, the young doctor veered off with them into the alley that cut their journey a few minutes shorter. It was rather narrow, and somewhat shadowy, but was generally not so bad during the day. Creepy, but not risky -- which was most of the fun.

Laughing and talking, Megumi almost didn't notice the large, dark figure ahead, conceealed in the dimness, until it retreated further into the darkness. She froze.

The girls, sensing her fear, froze with her. Their whispers barely reached her ears. "What is it?"

Megumi spoke slowly, calmly. She must protect them at all costs, but it was at least as important not to scare them. "Girls, go back to Kensan. Everything is fine. You're fine, I'm fine, but I want you to go back to the dojo and have him walk you home. Don't run. I'm just going to make sure that I'm only jumping at shadows," she smiled at them, but it was hard. "Now, go!" Just then, the dark figure moved and she thought she heard a growling.

The girls fled, slowly at first, but by the time they reached the entrance to the alley, they were halfway to running. Whimpering in fear, they held whispered consultation even as their legs carried them away.  
"We can't leave Megumineesan!"

"She told us to go. We'll get Kennii. He'll help."

"Kennii will help Megumineesan."

"Hai. Kennii will help," Ayame agreed.

The dojo was only three blocks away. The little girls would be safe in no time, Megumi reassured herself. Still, she was determined to distract the demonic figure, to keep it away from them. It growled again, and now Megumi could hear an odd chirping as it seemed to be tapping its chest, almost as one would tap a wind chime. Whatever the creature was, she could see it was a masculine figure, but it was definitely not human.

She must have made some sound, because he looked up at her, startled. "What the--" he started to say, and she got a good look at his face.

"Monster! Demon!" Megumi never thought of herself as much of a screamer, but fear had overcome her. Even though she feared the return of the Oniwabanshu, Hannya was not so fearsome a creature as he... "Get away from me! Someone! Help!" She stumbled backwards as she screamed, escape her only thought.

No sooner did she start screaming, however, then the creature reacted. Whipping out something that looked like no gun Megumi had ever seen, what he held was clearly a weapon as he looked around frantically. "What! Where!"

Then everything happened at once.

Behind Megumi, Kenshin came tearing into the alley, sakabattou at the ready and Sanosuke at his heels.

"Behind you!" the figure yelled, pointing the odd weapon.

Megumi tripped, went down.

The weapon fired.

Flashed.

The blade flashed.

A beam of reddish light reflected into the sky.

"Megumidono!" The harsh edge in that voice was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.

"Drop that thing," said another, gruffer voice.

Leaning over, the manlike being lay the weapon on the ground. He straightened slowly, both hands in the air and a deeply resentful but understanding expression on his face. "I... er.. Come in peace," he said, with an odd tilt of his head as though the notion of saying such a thing struck him as ridiculous.

"Wow. Who comes up with that stuff?" Sano wondered, never relaxing. "You don't look that peaceful."

"Wait," Megumi said, finding her voice. "When I... started screaming. You were trying to protect me, weren't you," she said slowly.

The figure nodded. "I am a security officer. It is my job to protect the innocent."

"Innocent? Her?" Sano scoffed. The others ignored him.

"What kind of demon are you?" Megumi asked.

"I am not a demon. I am a Klingon," was the gruff reply. "You should not have seen me, but I fear it is too late. May I help you up?"

Only then did Megumi realize she was still sprawled on the ground, though she was sitting up halfway. "Yes. Please," she said, nervously but determined not to show it. Kenshin and Sanosuke watched his every move, but the large Klingon moved slowly and deliberately, lifting Megumi easily and very gently to her feet.

"My, you're strong," the young woman said appraisingly, eyeing the stranger in an entirely different light. "I am Takani Megumi. This is Himura Kenshin. He's sort of a guardian angel around here.. And that's Sagara Sanosuke."

Somehow, Kenshin managed to look embarrassed without dropping his guard in the slightest. "Hajimemashite."

"I am Worf."

"Hajimemashite, Worf-san," Megumi smiled at him. "May I ask what brings a... Klingon here?"

The large shoulders managed to convey drooping without actually doing so. "I fear I have become... lost. According to my... maps, this is Tokyo, is it not?"

Kenshin nodded. "Where are you trying to go?"

"That is the problem. I am supposed to be here, but I suspect there was a problem. What year is this?"

Confused, the three shared glances. But their confusion was nothing next to the complete puzzlement and frustration that swept the craggy face as they told him.

"But... That is impossible!" Worf seemed utterly stunned.

"Not really, unless we're all mistaken," Sano pointed out.

"Are you all right? I'm a doctor," Megumi said. "Perhaps I can help."

Worf shook his head. "No. I... For one thing, I should not have been discovered. I am from very far away."

"Yeah, we got that part," Sano grumbled.

"Maa, maa. There's no need to antagonize him, Sano," Kenshin cajoled his friend.

"I can only hope the Enterprise can locate me and--"

Whatever this "Enterprise" of his was supposed to do, they never learned. In a corruscating, silvery blue column of light, accompanied by an odd, high pitched hum, Worf vanished into thin air.

For several minutes, the three stared, gaping, at the now empty space in which the Klingon had been standing.

"That.. Was weird." Sano finally muttered softly.

Kenshin turned at last to Megumi. "I'm just glad you're all right, Megumidono," he said, sheathing the blade and going to her side, "But we'd best get back and reassure the girls..."

Megumi nodded. "Hai. And then we'd best get back to the clinic," she said. "The LONG way."

"I'll walk you," the swordsman said.

Megumi nodded. Still, they stood for several more minutes, staring in bewilderment, before at last returning to the place they called home.

* * *

_--'--,-- **Finis ** --,--_

* * *

(Incidentally, this is my very first post... So please go gentle on me regarding formatting issues. I'm trying to get the hang of it and I will... eventually. Maybe. I hope. Needless to say, the character of Worf is property of Gene Roddenberry's estate, or Paramount, or whoever holds the rights to Star Trek characters these days... And of course all the RK characters are property of Nobuhiro Watsukisensei. Anyway, please keep in mind that my motives were pure and unadorned. This is no tale of... err... star-crossed lovers. Nor was it inspired by some twisted dream from my tormented psyche. Alas, this is the product of that most innocuous of sources: A typo. Then again, it may have been Engrish; the error appeared repeatedly in the eBay listing.)


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